The Jackson's Trip to Montauk
by Lilypad18
Summary: Percy Jackson vacations to Montauk with his family.
1. Chapter 1

Sophia glanced up from her coloring book and to the window of the speeding car. Her eyes could barely keep up with the blurs of green and the occasional, lonely houses. Her parents had told her that the family was taking a vacation to a place called Montauk, which was a beach up in Road Island. Sophia was naturally curious to see what this place looked like, and what happy memories it held for her father. You see, whenever he talked about this place, she could just see happiness dance in his eyes as he recalled memories and retold stories at the dinner table. It put a smile on her face. Hopefully, this place could bring her just as much contentment.

She returned to the coloring book, giving the Parthenon the final touches of color. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Chase playing with his action figures, as usual, with all of the sound effects a boy could ever want. Sophia ignored him this time; she learned her lesson a month ago, with their pool exploding and all.

She put her chunky crayon back into the can and closed the book, scanning the car elsewhere. Her restless father was driving, his head looking straight out onto the highway, his fingers lightly tapping to the beat of the soft music on the steering wheel. And her loving mother was reading yet another book; Sophia swore she had already finished it a couple of weeks ago, she saw it in her "finished" pile of books on her drawing table, didn't she? It didn't matter; all was well in the Jackson car, until she saw a ferocious beast heading towards their car. Her eyes widened in alarm.

"Mother!" She cried, almost jumping out of her car seat. "Look!" Her tiny finger pointed to the blur of black outside of the window. Her mother's eyes widened also and she dropped her book, her head snapping towards her husband.

"Percy! A hellhound is coming this way!" Percy's head looked in the same direction, making him almost swerve into the barrier of the lanes.

"_Di immortales," _He cursed and nimbly switched to the other lane, parking on the side of the road in a hurry, making a cloud of dusty rock rise into the air. Chase looked up at his parents, an agitated and annoyed look on his face, his superheroes resting in his lap.

"Mommy, what's going on?" Annabeth was already out of the car, her shimmering knife in hand, studying her surroundings. Sophia could see that she was already making plans with that decisive look upon her face. It was sort of like the look when she would be deciding whether or not to add a column or a window to a blueprint while sketching out buildings, except this look was more urgent, more vital.

"Not right now, Chase. Mommy's a little busy." Sophia saw her father eagerly climb out of the car, uncapping what looked like a regular pen, in which turned into a full-fledged sword. Chase must have seen this because he gasped and cried, "That was totally wicked!" He then punched his arm in the air. "Go daddy!" Percy cracked a thankful grin at his supportive son and together, Percy and Annabeth ran towards the beast. Chase unlocked himself out of the car seat and joined Sophia by her window, both impatiently watching the fight that was ensuing.

Sophia was in awe of her mother's agile and poised combat moves, and her father's ability to wield a sword with such power. In no time, the two had the monster defeated into a pile of yellow dust. Sophia thought that was weird because nowhere in any books has she read that monsters turned into sulfur-like substance after they were vanquished. But she kept her bookworm mouth shut because what her parents did was way too cool for any story books.

Chase leapt out of the car as he saw his parents approaching and scurried over to them as fast as his legs could take him. Percy had his arm around Annabeth's waist, his cocky, victorious smile perched on his lips and Riptide rested on his right shoulder. Chase was a little out of breath as he spoke.

"That was so cool, you guys! You need to teach me some of those moves!" Sophia smiled a bemused smile as she watched her foolish brother try to imitate her parent's moves. He ended up falling on his butt in the summer-burnt grass. Percy and Annabeth let out a chuckle as she helped her son up.

"All right, Chase. I know what you just saw was very awesome, but we need to continue on our way to Montauk. Traffic is horrible at this time of day." Then, collectedly, her parents made their way back to the car. Sophia couldn't believe this, after all of that, they worry about traffic? Who knows if there could be more monsters lurking around on future highways! Besides, they had a lot of explaining to do. Sophia stomped after them, catching up with her mother. She tugged on the trim of her mother's white shirt.

"What is it, Soph?" She responded to the touch.

"You have a lot of explaining to do!" She said with a pout and crossing of her arms. "I mean, no ordinary parents could do all of that!" Sophia gestured to the faraway pile of dust, a stern look on her face. Annabeth laughed and picked up her concerned daughter, resting her on a hip. Her grey eyes met her daughter's.

"As you will soon find out, your father and I are nowhere near ordinary." And with that simple statement, she put Sophia back in her car seat, making Sophia's thoughts race for the rest of the car trip.


	2. Explanations by Firelight

Chase didn't like the fact that marshmallows took so long to cook. He just couldn't wait to feel the warm, gooeyness of marshmallow and chocolate combined leak into his mouth as he took a huge bite into the two flimsily dangerous pieces of graham cracker. The taste would be utterly awesome and totally worth the wait, he decided.

He looked away from the stick that held his precariously perched, almost-burning marshmallow and around the circle; all of his family wasn't here yet, except for his boring sister, Sophia. She was so boring because her head was always stuck in book. He didn't get why people liked to read other people's stories when you can always create new ones yourself! That's what he always did with his action figures, sound effects included, my friend. And you can't get mind-blowing sound effects from books, let me tell you.

By the time he looked back at his marshmallow, it was burnt to the crisp. Chase let out a sigh and threw the stick on the ground, getting the marshmallow even grosser in the dirty sand. Chase rested his chin on his palms in defeat. He hated marshmallows. They would never reappear in his digestive system ever again.

After a couple of seconds of sulking, he heard a quiet, restrained giggle. He looked up to find Sophia looking at him, her hand covering her mouth, book open in her lap. He could plainly see that she was trying not to laugh. She was mocking him; he could just see the stupid mock thriving in her dark eyes. Chase didn't like this at all. "Hey, shut up! Cooking marshmallows takes expertise!" Sophia snorted and rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, expertise," She looked at him, a sarcastic smile crawling onto her lips. "A monkey could cook a marshmallow better than you." Chase glared at her and stood up.

"That's it!" He was breaking out the big guns. "I'm telling mom!" Sophia's eyes widened and stood up.

"No you won't! You're too chicken to!" Sophia highly doubted that, he probably knew that she was majorly bluffing. Chase ignored her and darted for the cabin. It's just that Chase forgot one thing: Sophia is a pretty fast runner, and before he knew it, his face was buried in sand while Sophia restrained his arms behind his back, her forceful knee digging into his back.

"Hey, let me go!" He squirmed under her touch, making Sophia hold on his arms even tighter.

"Oh, I don't think so," She replied.

"Really? Because I think you should, Sophia," Another, deeper voice interjected. She meekly glanced up and gulped. It was her father; he towered above them, his hands on his hips.

"Come on, you guys," He continued and pulled them apart with one big, hand each. "You know you shouldn't be fighting like this." Chase looked up, brushing his shirt off.

"Sophia started it, daddy!" He pointed at her accusingly. "She called me a monkey!" Percy disregarded him with nodding and pushing them back to the little bonfire that lit up the night.

"All right, all right, just settle down before your mother comes out." He loudly whispered, watchfully looking over his shoulder at the cabin. The two children nodded and sat back down on their blankets, Percy finally joining them. Soon enough, their mother walked out of the cabin with their dinner. She sat down by Percy and he immediately took the plate. She rolled her eyes but smiled, looking at her children. They smiled back inconspicuously. She sighed.

"So, you two want to know how we can fight like we did?" Sophia was the only one who eagerly nodded, obviously interested in her going-to-be-tale; Chase had his eyes on the plate the whole time.

"All right," Annabeth said. She bit her lip and then started. "Your father and I are demigods." She paused, waiting for their reactions. Sophia had to think about it for a little, she remembered reading or hearing that term somewhere, but she couldn't place her finger on it. Using her language skills, she responded.

"Is it a person who is half god?" Annabeth nodded and smiled.

"Yes, Soph."

"So, you and daddy are half god?" She asked, meeting her mother's expectant watch.

"Yes, we are. Your father's father, or grandfather to you, is Poseidon." Chase's eyes widened, his hot dog in mid-freeze, right outside his open mouth.

"You mean the Greek god of water and stuff?" He asked. Sophia was surprised because Chase actually sounded interested. Percy nodded.

"Yes, Chase."

"So, does that mean that me and Sophia are part god too?" Percy looked at his wife and she nodded.

"Yes, that is what I conclude," Annabeth held and Chase almost dropped his hot dog in excitement.

"No way! That is so amazing!" Annabeth and Percy nodded. Sophia actually ingested this news.

"Who is our grandmother then?" Sophia interjected, but then she shook her head. "I know Grandma Sally is, but who is our other grandmother?" Percy looked at Annabeth for this question.

"Athena is, Sophia." Sophia nodded, acting totally nonchalant about this whole ordeal. Her parents weren't too surprised.

"Have I met her before?" She continued.

"Yes, you have, but you were a tiny, little baby." Sophia smiled a little at Annabeth's quick recap of a memory.

"Could I talk to her some day?" Annabeth nodded.

"Of course you can." Annabeth looked at Percy for support.

"Yes, I'm sure you can, Soph," His eyes flickered over to Sophia's. "We could go up to Olympus one day." Sophia nodded, smiled and crossed her arms, pleased with her response.

"Wait, Olympus is real?" Chase asked, his mouth full of hot dog. His mother nodded and picked up a hot dog for herself. Chase swallowed the remains of his hot dog and smiled.

"Our family is too cool."


	3. An Unexpected Guest Visits

Sophia has never really enjoyed the feel of water. She didn't like how sometimes it was cold and then warm. Why couldn't the sea ever make up its mind? She personally liked when the water was warm, at least it didn't bitterly tickle her toes as she waited to go into the water when it reappeared on the sand.

It's just too bad that Montauk's water was cold, but her father and brother didn't seem to mind. They were already waist deep in the water, sending small, teasing waves at each other, a very sophisticated splash fight for the two, she thought. She found it kind of unfair that she didn't want to enjoy the water, unlike they did.

All of her peers at school cheered and chattered about the refreshing feel of it in the summer at the local pool, but Sophia didn't understand what was so great about it. All she could see about water was a bunch of oxygen atoms that covalently bonded with even more hydrogen atoms, even though her parents told her not to think that way, especially because it was a simple element of nature.

She decided that she would give the ocean another shot with an even more open mind, not for her, of course, but for her family. She stood at the beginning of the ocean and patiently watched the water disappear on the sand, her small toes crinkling away from the water that got too close for her taste. Her hair was up in a wobbly ponytail, a curl had already fallen down from the up do and it lazily blew in the breezy beach air, brushing her nose. Her hands were politely folded in front of her simple, white, one-piece bathing suit that her mother had gotten her right before the trip.

Percy looked up from his happy and laughing son to his lonely daughter. He knew that she didn't appreciate the water as much as he did (which he thought was a little weird), but he respected her decision. Since Chase could manage on his own, he made his way to his daughter.

"Soph, is everything all right?" She looked up at him, a hint of startle creasing her face. She shrugged.

"I guess." Percy nodded.

"Well, why don't you go get your mom? I'm sure she would like to join in with all the fun we're having over here," He nudged to Chase with his shoulder and Sophia could see he was testing out how long he could blow bubbles in the water for. Sophia smirked and looked back at her father.

"All right, daddy," She said and scurried off to her mother who was sitting on a beach towel, reading a book and sketching something out. Sophia thought that the beach was an odd place to be drawing something, but she kept her mouth shut. She knew her mother could draw anything anywhere and it would still turn out a masterpiece. Annabeth looked up to her daughter with a gentle smile.

"Hey, Soph. Is everything going okay?" Sophia nodded and kneeled by her, merely glancing at the sketch and then up to her mother.

"Daddy wants you and me to go swimming with them." She looked out at the water and Percy waved at them. Annabeth smiled and nodded.

"All right," Sophia's mother put her book and sketch away and stood up, taking Sophia's hand. They both walked to the water, but only Annabeth went in right away. She hesitated when she felt Sophia not following her in. Annabeth looked at her daughter over her shoulder.

"Come on, Sophia. The water isn't even that cold." Sophia nodded and then lifted a perk foot, attempting to enter the watery abyss. Her toe touched the water, testing it. Annabeth pursed her lips and rested her free hand on her hip.

"Are you done with your experiments, little Ms. Scientist?" Sophia looked up at her mother and made an annoyed face, causing Annabeth to laugh and offer another hand to her. "I think you need some help with this one." Sophia took her mother's hand and Annabeth helped her daughter into the water.

Sophia was shocked because her mother was right; the water wasn't even that cold! Toes must be bad temperature testers, she concluded. She definitely would have to bring a thermometer next time. Percy and Chase smiled at them and Annabeth greeted her husband with a peck on the cheek. Percy instantaneously smiled more and looked at her. Sophia could see that they were purposely trying not to kiss in front of them, clearly for Chase's sake, because Sophia wouldn't have minded at all.

Sophia then glanced at her brother who was busy trying to make bigger waves like his father. She could hear his impatient huffs which told her that he was getting frustrated and fast, which wasn't a very good thing. Sophia didn't even attempt to help him sometimes; her brains would just get him even madder. Besides, it's not like her parents weren't capable of helping him.

But, what happened next, made Sophia stop and stare. As Chase attempted at a bigger wave, an even bigger wave toppled his, showing a man who looked an awful lot like a fisherman. He looked at Sophia and Chase, giving them a sunny smile. Sophia raised an eyebrow at him, about to alert her mother, but her father had already noticed.

"Dad!"


	4. Stories at Dinner

Sophia looked up at her grandfather who was laughing with her parents inside of the tiny cabin as they retold stories. Chase was just as lost as she was, she had a clue of what the conversation was about, but she didn't fully understand. She guessed they were talking about memories before they were born. She picked at her peas, purely through boredom. Chase seemed to do the same.

After a while, she felt her grandfather's eyes rest upon her. She smiled a little, hopefully wondering if it was finally her time to shine. She met her grandfather's gaze and she could see that he studied her face, not for creepy purposes or anything like that, but a lingering glance at a forgotten face. He smiled once he was done.

"Sophia," He murmured, it was almost a coo. "I have heard so much about you, but have only seen you since you were a little baby." Sophia smiled and nodded understandingly.

"That's what my mother told me,"

"Of course," Poseidon nodded. "I remember when I first held you; I could just feel the intelligence weighing in my arms." He let out a chuckle and looked at his son. "It was a much different feeling that I have ever felt before." Sophia knew he was teasing his son because her father rolled her eyes, good-humoredly punching his father in the arm.

"Thanks, Dad." He said sarcastically, resting his arm back onto the table. Annabeth smiled and darted into the conversation.

"Well, Perce, I don't call you Seaweed Brain for nothing." Poseidon started laughing and looked at his daughter-in-law.

"Is that really what you call him?" Annabeth simply nodded at Poseidon and took a drink of water, Poseidon's chuckles dying down a bit. Sophia was starting to become embarrassed for her father, her slight blush matched her father's who sat across from her at the small table. She let out a huff of air and stood up on her chair.

"I believe that my father is very smart," She claimed, her hands balled at her sides. "I mean, he was the one who taught me how to tie my shoes AND how to ride a bike." Sophia saw Chase eagerly nod, joining her by standing on his chair also.

"Yeah, and he potty trained us too!" Chase added, but Sophia gave him a look because of the now awkward silence in the room, she had left that part out for a reason. Percy cleared his throat and stood up, a meek smile on his face.

"Well, its bed time now," He looked at his father. "Thanks so much for coming, dad, we really enjoyed your company." Annabeth nodded and stood up too as Percy raced over to her daughter, collecting her in his arms.

"Yes, we did." Annabeth walked over and held Chase too. Poseidon nodded, collecting his fisherman hat out of his pocket, standing up.

"No, thank you. I haven't had this much fun in years. Not to mention this good of food." That made Annabeth smile. Poseidon made his way towards the door but then turned back, looking at his grandson. "And I hope to see you soon, Chase. I would like to get to know you better." His warm, sunlit smile appeared again on his face as he disappeared in a wave of water. Chase and Sophia were left awestruck.


	5. Like Father, Like Son

Chase couldn't sleep, even though insomnia was one of his frequent visitors. But it was just something about his experience tonight which made his brain too wired to be tired. He sighed and rolled over in bed, his sheets slipping to his waist. _It's not like the humidity isn't helping either, _he grumpily thought as he wiped away a dark piece of hair drenched with sweat from his forehead.

His eyes lazily calculated the room, he saw his sister in the bed across from him drifting away in sleep easily, her tiny breaths showing movement under a thin, white sheet that was barely wrapped around her shoulders with disinterest. She saw that she was bothered by the humidity too, her forehead was a bit shiny and her curls frizzing against the pillow.

He sighed again and flipped onto his back, staring at the shadowy ceiling. He fortunately got the bed that was next to the window, and the moon cast a hazily glowing shade down on the sheets. He could also hear the waves gently lap against the shore. He could tell that they were trying to calm him down with their watery lullaby, but it wasn't working for once because it seemed like the sea was almost talking to him, or beckoning to him, he decided to follow its rebellious request.

He peeled the sheets away from his body and climbed down onto the sandy, wooden floor, the grainy bits annoyingly rubbing against his feet as he padded towards the door. The door was partially open and he managed to sneak out without causing too much noise with the whiny hinges calling out in alarm or the squeaky, worn-out floorboards moaning from the impulsive pressure of a small foot.

The moon was a lot brighter outside and so was the calling of the sea, it was hypnotizing in a way. He sat down in the sand and watched its fluid movement of flirting with him, the way it reached out, but in minutes, pulling back, leaving a collection of whirling bits of broken seashells and shiny pebbles in its place. He smiled and clambered down close to it.

He picked up a pebble and nearly dropped it because it was so cold between his warm fingertips. He waited a while until its temperature was comfortable in his new home in his hand. Droplets of water decorated his palm from the rock, and he studied it, looking at his minuscule but seeable face.

"Couldn't sleep either?" Chase dropped the pebble into the dry sand, his head snapping over his shoulder. He saw his father smiling down on him, his hands in the pockets of his gym shorts, a white t-shirt for his pajama top. Chase could see stubble growing on his father's cheeks already, and it wasn't even morning, his hair looking like a mini tornado itself. He sat down next to his son.

"What's on your mind, Chase?" He asked. . Chase wrapped his arms around his knees.

"Humidity," He replied, resting his chin on his knees. Chase saw him smirk and nod.

"This place may be fun, but humidity is the price we pay." Chase nodded and they were both quiet for a while.

"So, what did you think of your grandfather?" Percy broke the ice.

"He's pretty cool," Chase looked over at him. "But, what were you guys talking about at first?" Percy's smile widened.

"Poseidon was sharing his views on when your mother and I met." Chase nodded but his eyebrows furrowed.

"How did you and mommy meet?" Percy looked back at his son.

"Well, I first met her when she was healing me after my first battle with a Minotaur." Chase's eyes widened.

"Y-you mean the giant cow thing?" Chase put his fingers up to his head, his pointer fingers turning into temporary horns. "With the horns?" His fingers wiggled to emphasize the horns. Percy cracked a grin and nodded.

"Yes, the thing with the horns." Chase nodded understandingly and let his hands fall back to his knees.

"That's so cool, daddy! I wish I could have fought and defeated a Minotaur!" Percy laughed a little.

"I don't think so, Chase. It took a while for me to recover." Chase gave him an incredulous look.

"But, you had mommy! I'm sure she helped you recover fast. I know with her touch, my scrapes and bruises heal like that!" Percy smiled and nodded.

"I'll have to agree with that. She did heal me well, especially with all of that nectar she gave me." His eyes returned over to the sea, his eyes matching the glassiness of the sea.

"What did you think of mommy when you first met her?" Chase continued, playing with some of the sand that was by his feet. "Did you think she was annoying? Pretty? What?"

"Honestly, I did think she was a tad bit annoying, but that was only because she kept asking me questions about the summer solstice and Zeus's lightning bolt being missing." He shrugged. "Ya' know, the norm." Chase nodded, waiting for the rest of his answer, and his father did oblige.

"But, overall, I thought she was pretty the first time we met." He smiled at his son. "She had princess curls. Well, that's what I call them at least." Chase gave him a look.

"A princess?" He rolled his eyes. "Please. If she was one, she'd be more like a warrior princess, anyway. I mean, have you seen her fight? She kicks major butt!" Percy couldn't help but laugh.

"Of course I've seen her fight, Chase. And she does kick butt, especially mine." Percy wearily rubbed the back of his neck, recalling all of the times at camp (and now) she has beaten him, whether it was at sword fights, or even _Jeopardy _questions.

"Mommy sure is awesome," Chase said with a sigh, leaning back on his elbows. Percy nodded.

"Yeah,"

"I'm glad you married her, daddy." Percy smirked, ruffling his son's hair.

"Well, I'm glad I have your approval." Percy's tone was totally sarcastic, but Chase nodded, taking his father's statement as a truth. They both looked out at the sea just as the sun was leaking over the top of it, spreading its hesitant light over the murky water. Percy decided one thing and one thing only: his wife was totally going to kill him for letting their son stay up so late.


	6. A Lesson Learned

Sophia was sad knowing that their little vacation was coming to an end. She would miss the nightly bonfires and the feeling of sand in between her toes. But, living in that small and barely functional cabin? Not so much.

She enjoyed having the sun warm her skin and the smell of suntan lotion filter through her nose occasionally while wasting her days away at the beach. Well she wasn't totally wasting her day, she did, if she could, calculate the velocity of horseshoe crabs. She thought this would make an interesting science fair project once school started again.

Sophia's tan hands patted the sand as she and her mother worked on the deluxe sandcastle they were building. Annabeth told her that she had always wanted to build this design of a sandcastle before, ever since she was a little girl. She also said that she would need a particularly special assistant to help her with this project. So, why not? Horseshoe crabs could wait.

They were almost done with the palace; Annabeth was working on the draw bridge, while Sophia was finishing up a wall. It already looked spectacular, and they didn't even add the finishing touches yet! There was going to be water in the moat (and maybe some fish too, if Percy could convince them), along with Chase's bucket of little, plastic army men to guard the knowledgeable princess that awaits her also intellectual prince. It was going to look great, Sophia decided. She couldn't wait to tell her friends about it!

Sophia brushed her hair out of her face; her eyes were squinted, accidentally scraping some dry sand on her forehead. She could see her brother and father still enjoying their time in the ocean. They were having a contest to see which one could blow bubbles the longest and they were both tied. She looked back at her mother and she could see that serious look upon her face as she smoothed out the sandy bridge so the army men wouldn't trip over any clumps, most especially the princess. Any architectural mistakes of her magnificent palace would be an immediate execution, of course.

Even serious, Sophia could also see the glee of finally accomplishing a wish in her mother's eyes; they were a lighter shade of gray than usual. It could be the sun, she deducted, but not even the sun could make so much rare expression stand out through her eyes like that.

She heard distant cheering mixed in with the waves crashing against the shore, probably meaning that someone had won the contest. Annabeth looked up from the now perfectly smooth bridge to her husband and son who were walking up to them, with Chase only slightly wet, Percy as dry as a bone. Annabeth smiled and opened her arms towards Chase who rocketed into his mother's arms, a triumphant grin on his face.

"Mommy!" He pulled back, looking at her, his hands on her shoulders. "Guess what?"

"What?"

"I won!" She smiled.

"That's great, Chase!" Her eyes flickered at Percy momentarily and he gave her a quick wink while grabbing a can of soda out of the cooler, letting her know that he secretly let his son win. "I think you deserve a prize."

"What would it be?" He asked.

"A congratulatory kiss from a fair maiden," She responded. Chase shrugged casually, offering his mother his cheek, his grin transforming into a more cocky one.

"If the fair maiden must," Annabeth rolled her eyes but planted a kiss on his son's salty, cold cheek. Chase laughed a bit.

Percy sat next to his daughter, pulling back the tab of the soda can, hearing the fizz releasing. He saw the sandcastle and smiled.

"Cool sandcastle you got there, Soph." Sophia looked over to her father, watching him easily and thirstily knock back the soda. She sighed, resting her vacant, sandy hands in her lap, her legs outstretched to the active sea.

"Cool?" She questioned his adjective. "I think it is the most magnificent sandcastle I have even seen in my life." Percy smirked at her response, resting his can in the sand beside him.

"That's because it's the only sandcastle you've ever seen in your life." He leaned back on his hands while Sophia shook her head.

"No, if I ever see any other sandcastles, I know they won't ever compare to the greatness of this one." Percy was trying not to laugh, so he hid it with a nod.

"Whatever you say, Soph, whatever you say." Sophia seemed pleased with his response; he could see her smile out of the corner of her eye. Chase crawled over to Sophia through the sand, getting the trim of his blue swim trunks covered in a band of sand.

"Do you want to put my army men up now, Sophia?" She nodded and got the white bucket that was full to the brim of them. Together, they decorated the building with putting some on the bridge, some inside guarding the walls and the majority of them up on the second level, guarding the princess's tower.

The children then gathered their colorful, plastic buckets and dashed towards the sea, hurriedly filling up them up with water, scurrying back to the sandcastle. They poured the water into the moat and Chase had to admit that it looked pretty awesome. Annabeth took numerous pictures and eagerly chattered with Percy how she, "couldn't wait to show these to Thalia, Clarisse, Athena and Rachel". Percy took it as, "I can't wait to show off how attractive and intelligent my kids are to Thalia, Clarisse, Athena and Rachel".

Chase and Sophia played with their sandcastle the rest of the afternoon they were there, and Sophia confessed that once you were sucked into Chase's unique plot, the sound effects weren't so annoying after all. Chase controlled all of the army men while Sophia had her lone princess figure.

But, not all time went to play; she learned one thing that day: not all fun comes from reading or learning things, but a little imagination can take you a long way.


	7. A Story Shared

Percy looked out onto the road as he drove back home, he was sad that he was leaving his beloved beach but was looking forward to feel the comforting carpets of his house against his feet. He switched into another lane and managed to glance at his wife, she was asleep in the seat beside him, her book open to her on her lap. He hastily closed the book, putting the book back into her bag without swerving into the other lane.

He then looked at his kids in the backseat of the car, Chase was just drifting off to sleep, his head bobbing against his chest at each little bump on the road. He smiled, knowing that Chase had a good time at the beach, just as much as he did. He then looked at her daughter who was looking out the window, her chin resting on her palm. Her hair was unusually lingering around her shoulders. Her curls weren't as bouncy as they usually are; they were tired, just like she was.

Sophia sighed with boredom, switching palms but her critical look out the window stayed the same. Percy raised an eyebrow, turning down the music on the radio to a soft hum. His finger hit the turn signal and the clicking of it replaced the soothing music notes of the singers as he switched into the other lane, he was now in front of the red car which was going too slow for Percy's taste. His eyes returned back to the mirror, looking back at his daughter.

"What's up, Soph?" He asked and she met his gaze through the mirror, shaking her head.

"Nothing really, daddy," Percy nodded.

"You look very bored back there," Sophia pushed her hair out of her face. "Is there anything I can do?" Sophia tapped her chin and smiled once a thought came to her.

"Could you tell me some memories you have of when you were a teenager?" Percy's eyebrows furrowed as he scanned through his archives of memories.

"Happy or sad?" He questioned.

"Happy, if you don't mind." Percy nodded.

"Do you have any ranges of age? That's only because I've got a lot of adventurous memories, Soph." Sophia smiled.

"That's all right, daddy." She thought further, "How about thirteen to fourteen?" There was a long pause while her father chose a memory.

"I've got one!" He announced with a wide smile on his face. "In the summer, when I was fourteen, we saved Daedalus' Labyrinth from Kronos and his forces." Sophia nodded intolerantly.

"Why?" She pursued.

"Kronos rose from Tartarus, and he wanted to take over Olympus."

"But why did he go try to go through the Labyrinth?"

"The Labyrinth could take you anywhere because it was so big and was always growing. It could lead you anywhere and he was trying to get to our camp in order to destroy it and get to Olympus more easily." Sophia's eyebrows rose.

"Did it work?" Her tone was urgent. Percy shook his head as he continued his story.

"Nah, we shut him down before he could get to the borderlines of the camp." He sighed painfully. "We did lose some lives in that fight, though." Sophia's face fell but she decided to keep this story a positive one.

"Well, at least they died for something and not anything at all." Percy nodded, putting his hands at the top of the steering wheel.

"Good point, but the story I want to share doesn't have to do anything with wars or battles." He paused, already feeling his face growing hot. "It's about my… first kiss." Sophia leaned in closer to her father.

"Really?" She asked curiously. "This sounds very interesting." He nodded.

"Your mother, your aunt Rachel, uncle Tyson and Grover and I were in the Labyrinth, trying to find Daedalus' workshop in order to get Ariadne's string, so Kronos's forces wouldn't be able to get it. Sadly, Daedalus gave it away to them and that's how they managed to find the entrance into the camp. Anyway, I'm still getting off track." Sophia rolled her eyes but saved her wise cracks for later.

"Continue," She persisted and he nodded.

"Anyhow, one of the steps to get to Daedalus' workshop was that we had to see what was going on at one of Hephaestus's workshops, Mount Saint Helen's. It turns out it was infested with these horrible creatures called telkhines. They're this combination of seals and dogs; they have faces of dogs and sleek bodies like seals or sea mammals with short legs that were half foot and half-flipper. They did have hands like us, but also claws." Sophia made a face.

"Ew…" She remarked and Percy smirked.

"Yeah and I fought those things," He scrunched his nose but shook his head, clearing the picture of those monsters. "Nevertheless, on that mountain, is where your mother kissed me." Sophia smiled.

"What was it like?" Percy sighed dreamily, smiling more than Sophia.

"Honestly, it turned my insides out," He scratched his head, collecting his thoughts some more. "But in a good way, you know? I couldn't remember my name, though." Sophia saw her father blush even more at his boyish confession and she couldn't help but let out a silly but comforting giggle.

"Don't worry, daddy, that's a good thing when a girl kisses you." She said reassuringly. Percy started to laugh.

"And how would you know this, Soph?" She shrugged, looking at her mother and then back to her father.

"Well, look at you two now: married and with wonderful kids." She rested her hands in her lap. "I think you guys were meant to be, even though believing in fate isn't such a wise thing to do." Percy nodded.

"Spoken like your mother," He sighed, braking at a stop light. Sophia looked out the window and they, surprisingly, were almost home. She sat back in her seat, pushing some hair out of her face.

"Thank you for sharing, daddy," Percy nodded in recognition.

"Anytime, Soph," Sophia smiled, her eyelids suddenly feeling heavy. And before Sophia fell asleep, she saw her mother smile at her father.

"Nice story, Seaweed Brain," She paused before her smile grew bigger, purely through teasing mischievousness. "That's one of my favorites too." That's when she saw her father blush for the…third time?


End file.
